Can setting be a character in a
story? You bet. Some places naturally are so exotic, exciting and beautiful
that they cry out to star in a movie or book.
I’ve read books, wonderful books,
set in faraway places. But the settings served only as a backdrop, mentioned,
but forgotten. I’ve always been a little disappointed that I didn’t learn more
about the locale during the stories. I love stories where the setting is the
framework that holds the story, especially when the story is set in a beautiful
place I want to visit or one I want to revisit.
When I traveled to Rome, Italy, in
2006, my second trip there, I was again blown away by the city’s beauty,
vibrancy and history. All four of my grandparents came from Italy, so the
country itself holds meaning for me.
Rome
was bustling as always that June, especially with World Cup fever all around.
We stayed at a hotel on one of the most popular and crowded streets, Via Corsi.
Trevi Fountain was a short walk away. The Pantheon was around the corner. And
so was an amazing gelato shop where we bought too many luscious gelatos, the
Italian ice cream. Yum. Kiwi Melon was my favorite. My husband and I ate at
least two gelatos a day. Good thing we walked all over the city to shed those
extra calories.
Italy
is magical and begs to be its own character in books and movies. As we walked
the ancient cobbled streets of Rome, ate amazing food (saffron gnocchi with fresh-shaved
truffles, anyone?) and drank lots of delicious wine, I just knew I had to set a
story there. And I knew the richness of Rome could never fade into the
background. It had to be a character.
In
the fall of 2009, The Wild Rose Press announced a new romantic suspense series,
Jewels of the Night. The stories could be set anywhere in the world, but had to
involve a stolen blue diamond. The proverbial light bulb went off in my head.
I’d write a romantic suspense set in Rome. My novel, Murder, Mi Amore, was released in December 2010. I’ve since gotten
the rights back and have published it myself.
Imagine
if you were a young American woman vacationing in Rome to get over a painful
breakup, and your Roman holiday is suddenly disrupted by jewel thieves, murder,
and one very hot and mysterious Italian guy who may or may not be involved with
the strange goings on around you.
That’s the premise of Murder, Mi Amore. Rome and other parts
of Italy are as important to my story as my hero and heroine, Dominic and
Lexie. Every scene in Murder, Mi Amore
is authentic. Even the meals Lexie ate are the same ones we enjoyed on our
trip. The hotel on the Via Corsi where Lexie stays is the one where we stayed,
but with a different name. I remember well how I felt as I shouldered my way
through the throngs of tourists and natives on Via Corsi. I used those feelings
to describe Lexie as she makes her way on this same street after she buys the
handbag that launches her wild adventure. When Lexie is dragged through dark
and narrow streets by her would-be kidnapper, I pictured the little alleyways
dotting Rome.
As I wrote about Lexie and Dominic
meeting for the first time at Trevi Fountain, I could hear the chattering of
the crowds and the snap of cameras and feel the sun’s heat. I could almost
taste the wine Lexie orders. When you see pictures of this iconic fountain, it
looks as if it’s in the middle of a very wide street. Nope. It’s set in a
corner of a narrow cobblestoned street.
While writing Murder, Mi Amore, I was once again in Rome – running my fingers
over the walls of the Coliseum, tramping through the Ancient Roman Forum,
eating luscious pizza and drinking rich red wine at outdoor cafes while motor
scooters darted around us.
A chapter in Murder, Mi Amore is set in the Abruzzo town where my grandparents
were raised. Writing that chapter brought me back to the beautiful,
mountainous, rural region of my ancestors. On our trip, we traveled the same
road to Abruzzo as Lexie and Dominic. However, unlike them, no one was trying
to run us off the road into a deep ravine.
Could my story have taken place
anywhere else? Yes, but I would have lost a major character – an exciting and
exotic character, and one a little bit dangerous. Italy.
My husband and took a Viking River
Cruise up the Seine in June, 2016. I plan to write a Gothic romance set in
Normandy. The rugged, rainy coast of Normandy is perfect for a dark Gothic.
We spent time in Paris, one of the world's great cities. Here's a picture of a gargoyle at the top of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Because our son lives in Las Vegas,
we go there at least once a year. My husband suggested I start writing stories
set in Vegas. I loved the idea. I now have two novellas set in Las Vegas, and I’m
currently writing a marriage-of-convenience novel set there.
Anyone who has been to Las Vegas
knows the place has its own character that can’t be duplicated. The story possibilities
set in Vegas are endless.
What do you think? Do you like
having a setting as a character in what you read and write?
Here’s the blurb for Murder, Mi Amore:
Danger. Deception. Desire.
Murder, jewel thieves and terrorists intrude on an
American woman's Roman holiday; can she trust the sexy, mysterious Italian man
who comes to her aid?
Lexie Cortese is in Rome to forget. The last thing
she expects is to meet a sexy Interpol agent who suspects her of being part of
a terrorist plot involving a stolen diamond. Suddenly thrust into a world of
murders, muggings, and kidnappings, Lexie doesn’t know what to think—or who to
believe.
Dominic Brioni’s assignment is simple. Befriend
the American and bring her to justice. Only Lexie seems the most unlikely
terrorist Dominic has ever met. Sweet, determined, and direct, she faces life
with courage and fire, a fire that sparks his protective instincts and a
longing for something more—something he allowed himself to hope for only once
before.
But that woman betrayed him, and his boss isn’t
about to let him forget it. With his career on the line and Lexie in danger,
will Dominic learn to trust his heart before they both get killed?
Here’s a little about my Las Vegas
story, Bad Luck Partners, in the
anthology Season of Promises Holiday Box
Set.
Holidays have never brought Las Vegas hotel concierge Laney
Sikora anything but bad luck in the romance department. The worst was her
fiancé dumping her on Valentine’s Day. Via text. She’s determined to spend New
Year's Eve alone with no romantic entanglements. But when her hunky new
neighbor locks himself out of his apartment, she can’t leave him standing in
the hallway. What's a girl to do?
Las Vegas is just a pit stop for Chicago native
and radio personality Chance Carlisle while he waits for his agent to land him
something bigger in L.A. But in the meantime, he keeps bumping
into—literally—his adorable, but accident-prone, neighbor. Their private New
Year’s Eve celebration leads to a plan: they’ll become the Bad Luck Partners,
dating only on holidays and special events, avoiding holiday heartbreaks and
matchmaking mamas.
But Fate might have something else in mind for the
klutzy cutie and the hotshot talk show host. Can their temporary partnership
become a forever deal?
And
from A Very Vegas Christmas in the
anthology Holiday Magic, from The
World Romance Writers.
A Las Vegas event
planner in need of luck meets a mysterious guy who might be her winning ticket.
Will his secret split them apart?
Can things get any worse for Las Vegas event planner Amanda
Moreau? Her boyfriend dumped her for a stripper; she’s arranging a Christmas
wedding for a Bridezilla; and her mother is playing matchmaker from 2000 miles
away. When she meets hunky and ever-so-sweet Erik, who’s in town for a
conference, she begins to hope her luck is changing. But Erik has a secret that
threatens to split them apart.
Links:
Murder, Mi Amore:
Season of Promises Holiday Box Set:
Holiday Magic:
Visit my website: www.caramarsi.com for more on all my books.
